Garment-hanger



2 UNITED STATES "PATENT Orrrcn.

EDGAR W. HORNER, or co NELLsvILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

GARMENT-HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Batent No. 536,470, dated March 26, 1895.

\ Application filed August 30. 1894., Serial No. 521,667- (No model.)

will hang downward, and therefore the greater weight at the lower portion of the trousers will remove bagginess at the knees, maintaining the trousers in shape through their own weight. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the" trousers may be clamped in the hanger without creasing or otherwise damaging them at their point of contact with the hanger, and whereby the trousers may be expeditiously and convenlently placed in the hanger or removed therefrom, and whereby also the hanger will conform to material of different thicknesses.

Another objectof the invention is to construct the hanger in such a manner that in addition to serving as a support for the trousers it will likewise support a coat and vest, or equivalent garments, or may be used simply for the latter purpose if necessary.

The invention consists in the. novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the garment hanger, illustrating a pair of trousers in position therein. Fig. 2 is a section taken practically 011 the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, illustrating in dotted lines the clamp of the hanger in an open position; and Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2, illustrating a slight modification in one of the clamping jaws'.

In carrying out the invention the body A of the hanger is constructed of any approved material. Wood, however, is usually employed,and the said bodyis given a convexed upper surface, and preferably the ends of the body are reduced in thickness, and the centraland wider portion of the body is provided with a straight under edgelO. The wider section of the body A is wider at one end than at the other, as shown in Fig. 1, and the supporting book 11, or the epuivalent employed 'is placed in about the center of the upper portion of the said body. Therefore, since tron sets are cut shorter in front than behind, when the trousers areplaced in the hanger they will hang straight.

A jaw 12, is preferably made integral with the back of. the body of the hanger, and extends downward below the straight edge 10,

1 whereby the latter edge is virtually a shoulder; and the jaw 12 is ordinarily made of a length substantially corresponding to that of the straight edge 10. The front face of the jaw 12 is covered with felt, cloth, or other soft material, as shown at 13 in Fig. 2, but if in practice it is found desirable the jaw 12, as shown in Fig. 3, may be made of metal, or a material different from that of the body, and secured thereto; but in the modified form the jaw 12 will sustain substantially the same relations to the body as in the ordinary form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A latch 14. of any approved construction is secured to the body preferably to the central portion of the straight edge 10, the latch extending beyond the front face of the body, as shown in the drawings. A movable jaw 15, is used in connection with the fixed jaw, the

movable jaw being adapted for clamping engagement with the outer or covered face of the fixed jaw.

The movable jaw is preferably stamped up or otherwise raised at its center in order that it may have bearing upon the fixed jaw at its outer edges only, and since the legs of the trousers are to be introduced {between these jaws, the movable jaw, which does the clamping or holding, will contact with the trousers legs as little as possible.

The movable jaw has a pivotal or hinged connection with a spring yoke 13. This yoke is secured to the body in any well-known manner, being placed upon its outer face. The yoke is provided with .a central tongue 16 adapted for engagement with the latch 14,

and a coil 17 is made in the yoke at each side of the tongue, serving normally to hold the tongue at an angle to the yoke and the movable jaw loosely upon the fixed jaw, or removed some distance therefrom. The yoke is ordinarily attached to the body A through the medium of sockets 18, of any approved construction.

In operation, the legs of the trousers are folded together in the proper manner, and the bottoms thereof are made to abut against the straight edge 10. The movable jaw is then forced to a clamping engagementwith the trousers by pressing the tongue 16 of the yoke downward and engaging it with the latch 14, as shown in positive lines in Fig. 2, the spring support of the movable jaw compensating for any extra thickness of material. Owing to the difference in width at the ends of the Wider portion of the body of the hanger, when said hanger is suspended the straight edge will be in a diagonal position, as shown in Fig. 1, thus throwing the back of the trousers to one side and enabling the trousers to hang perfectly straight. The weight of the waist portion of the trousers will serve to keep the cloth under tension and remove bagginess from the knees.

A coat or vest may hang over the upper edge of the body of the hanger, as is customary with a regular coat hanger. Thus this hanger will serve as a support for an entire suit, or may be used for trousers only, or only for coats and vests.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A garment hanger comprising a body or block having a fixed jaw along its lower edge, a vertically swinging spring actuated yoke pivoted at its upper end on one side of the body with its arms depending below its lower edge and there provided with the movable clamping jaw, the middle portion of the yoke being provided with a tongue at an angle to its side arms, and a catch on the body adapted to engage the said tongue when it is pressed toward the body or block, substantially as described.

2. A garment hanger comprising a body or block having a straight lower edge and a fixed jaw extending downwardly therefrom, a yoke having its cross bar coiled forming spiral springs and pivoted to the side of the body or block with its side arms extending downwardly below said straight edge and the middle part of the cross bar of the yoke being bent downwardly between the springs and pivotal points forming the tongue 16 projecting out at an angle to the said depending arms, a movable jaw mounted on the lower ends of the yoke arms and a catch on the lower edge of the body to engage the free end of the tongue, substantially as described.

3. A garment hanger comprising a block or body A having a curved upper edge, a straight lower edge 10, a depending fixed jaw 12, an upwardly and outwardly swinging spring pressed yoke B pivoted to the side of the block or body and having at the lower ends of its side arms a movable jaw to pass under the straight edge parallel with the fixed jaw; said movable jaw having a raised middle portion, a tongue on the yoke and a catch to lock the tongue when pressed against the block or body and thereby hold the movable jaw against the fixed jaw, substantially as described.

EDGAR W. HORNER. W'itnes es:

CLARRENOE E. MURPHY, JOHN KURTZ. 

